


Cinnamon & Lipstick

by sendricamp



Category: Pitch Perfect
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-29
Updated: 2013-01-25
Packaged: 2017-11-22 20:14:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/613852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sendricamp/pseuds/sendricamp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aubrey read somewhere that if a crush lasts more than four months, it is love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Let's Begin

Aubrey had to admit that Chloe was hard to dislike. When she had been relaxing on her bed in the dorm and the girl had bounded in, smile on her face, she had smiled. Not the smile that she had spent her teenage years perfecting, but an actual smile. She had energy, and when they had been roped into trying out for the Barden Bellas, it seemed contagious. Growing up, Aubrey hadn’t had time for best friends. Her father was always breathing down her neck about something or other, but with him being a few hundred miles away, she made time for Chloe.

She had always thought that seeing someone almost every waking second of the day would drive her insane, but it was different with Chloe. Everything was different with Chloe. The pressure to be perfect wasn’t there with her. She didn’t have to stress until she was sick. She could relax. Chloe was the only person who could get her to put a textbook down and pick up a movie.

They had been the only freshman invited into the Bellas, and the way the other girls treated them showed that. They were constantly shoved to the back, ignored. It hurt, because they knew they were good. They had the skills, otherwise they wouldn’t have been accepted to join. Instead, the captain, Alice -- the slavedriver, as Chloe referred to her when they were safe in their dorm -- tried to tear them down and break them, becoming seemingly more frustrated when they just smiled and pushed through everything.

Aubrey liked Sundays, though, because there wasn’t rehearsal. They could sleep in, which in the case of Aubrey only ended up being until eight in the morning. It gave her time to go for a run before returning to the dorm, waking Chloe up, and putting in a movie. It was their routine. Some days it was curling up on Chloe’s bed with her laptop propped on their legs, Chloe always leaning her head on Aubrey’s shoulder -- and Aubrey thinks that is where it started.

Or maybe it started with Christmas break.

“I heard the bar just off campus doesn’t check ID’s,” Chloe said, tossing her bag onto the bed. “I was thinking, since we are both here for break, we should take the time and go get completely wasted.”

Aubrey looked at her over the top of her book, eyebrow raised. “Normally you have some pretty good ideas, Chloe, but I don’t know what I think about that one. With the way my luck was with midterms, we would go on the one night the card or the one night they come in and bust people for underage drinking,” she groaned, tossing the book to the side, her head leaning back against the wall.

Chloe flopped onto the bed, Aubrey moving her legs quickly to avoid being smashed under the weight of the redhead. “Come on! We never go out and do anything! We always stay locked up in the dorm!” she pleaded, jutting out her bottom lip.

“No! You don’t get to pout! I can’t say no when you pout!” she laughed, shrinking back against the wall as Chloe sat up, almost climbing on top of her as she tried to extend her bottom lip to maximum pout, her bright blue eyes sparkling as she lost her composure and laughed, her arms going around Aubrey’s neck, holding her close.

“You won’t regret it. It’s karaoke night on Fridays!” She lingered for a moment, arms still around Aubrey’s neck. “So, get your butt out of bed and get ready. Tonight, we drink!”

Aubrey watched her climb off the bed and grab her towels and bathroom bag before disappearing out the door. She exhaled, unaware that she had been holding her breath in the first place. Chloe did something to her, and she wasn’t quite sure that she was ready to admit it to herself. She pulled herself off the bed, finding a change of clothes before grabbing her own bag and walking down the hall to the showers.

She could hear someone singing, smiling when she recognized Chloe’s voice. She counted off the stalls, seeing the bag and stopping. “You know, that can be a real distraction to other people,” she called out, holding in a laugh as Chloe’s head poked around the curtain. “Some of us like to shower in silence.”

Chloe stuck her tongue out at the blonde, busting out in giggles immediately after. “I’m sorry, I can stop singing if you would like to shower in peace.”

“Oh, no, by all means keep it up. You should be nice and warmed up for karaoke tonight, right?” she replied, turning and hanging her bag in the stall next to her friend. She peeled off her pajamas and stepped into the shower, standing under the hot water trying to clear her head. She had read somewhere that if you had a crush longer than four months, it was definitely something closer to love. She had one more month to shake the thoughts of Chloe before she would really worry herself over it.

“Hey, can I borrow your shampoo? Mine is empty,” Chloe said, causing Aubrey to turn and grab the curtain from the redhead.

“Jesus, Chloe!” she said, her heart feeling like it was going to fall from her chest. The redhead laughed, her eyes staying locked on her friends. “You could have just taken it and then put it back when you were done! How long were you there?!” she snapped, trying to be angry but failing at the smile that continued to sit on Chloe’s lips.

“I swear I wasn’t creeping,” she said, unconvincingly. Aubrey raised an eyebrow, pulling the curtain closer to her. “Okay, I admit, I did take a little peek, but this is college!”

“Take the shampoo and go!” she snapped, suddenly more defensive that she had been.

Chloe bit down on her bottom lip. “I’m sorry, Bree.” She disappeared, taking the shampoo bottle with her. Her hand reappeared a few moments later, setting it back in the bag. Aubrey took a deep breath and finished her shower, throwing her towel around her before heading to the lockers, grabbing her clean clothes and throwing them on. She slowly made her way back to the room, holding her breath for a moment when she saw Chloe sitting at her desk, messing with the computer.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” she said, tossing her stuff to the side before pulling the other chair over to Chloe, leaning her head on the redheads shoulder when she sat down. “You just caught me off guard.”

The girl remained silent for a moment, turning to look at Aubrey. “No, I should be apologizing to you. That was stupid of me to do. I just.. I like you, okay? I like our friendship. I don’t want to do anything to ruin it.”

Aubrey wrapped her arms around the redhead, holding her tightly. “Chloe, nothing you can do can ruin this friendship, understand? You are literally the only friend I have, and you are the first best friend I have ever had. I am not going to let anything ruin this. You mean the world to me, got it?” she asked. Chloe nodded, bringing her hands up to hook her fingers around Aubrey’s wrists. “Come on. Let’s go get drunk.”

\--

It quickly became their usual Friday night routine. Head to the bar, drink, sing a few songs and then stumble back to their dorm, arm in arm. They were still being pushed to the back at rehearsals, and Aubrey couldn’t help but feel if Alice would have given Chloe a solo, they wouldn’t have lost at regionals. The redhead had the best voice of the group, but the older Bellas refused to listen. Chloe griped almost every night about not knowing why they still had to rehearse if there were no more competitions, but Aubrey didn’t know how to answer, so instead she just pretended like she was asleep.

Somewhere around St. Patricks Day, Chloe started dating some junior, Aubrey never even paid attention to his name. Her four months had been up for almost 80 days and she couldn’t stop thinking about how she wanted to be the one who got to hold Chloe’s hand and whisper in her ear. She wanted to be the one kissing her goodnight after a date, and waking up to her smiling face and it was driving her insane.

It was a month later that Chloe came back to the dorm well after midnight, climbing into Aubrey’s bed with tears in her eyes. “He cheated on me.”

Aubrey didn’t respond, pulling her friend to her before kissing the top of her head, deciding that she might have to beat the crap out of whatever his name was.

“I’m glad I didn’t give it up for him,” Chloe mumbled, some time later, her fingers linking with Aubrey’s. “That would have been a really big mistake. I’ll find someone better, right Bree?” she asked, sounding a lot younger than eighteen.

“You know it,” she replied, her voice quiet. Even in the darkness, she could see Chloe’s eyes watching her. The redhead moved to head to her own bed, giggling softly when Aubrey held her tighter. “You can stay right here tonight.”

So Chloe did, for that night, and the remainder of their freshman year.

The night before Aubrey was heading back to Indiana and Chloe to Florida, they took their blankets and pillows, spreading them out in the middle of the room, curling up next to each other. “What am I going to do for three months without you?” Aubrey asked, trying not to cry. “I have been so carefree this year, and I don’t want to spend three months with my father breathing down my neck again. I don’t want to be perfect,” she said, giving up on holding back the tears when Chloe grabbed her hands.

“You don’t have to be perfect,” she whispered, wiping the tears from her best friends face. “No matter what your dad says to you, please remember that. You don’t have to live up to his standards of perfect. Be yourself. Because I have spend nine months getting to know the most amazing friend I have had in my life and the most amazing friend I will ever know. We are going to call each other at least once a day, Bree. But, remember, be who you are, even if your dad doesn’t like it.”

Aubrey leaned into Chloe’s hand, closing her eyes. “Why are you so unafraid of being you?”

“Because no one ever told me that I couldn’t be me,” she replied, smiling. “It’s a good way to live. Try it. For me.”


	2. A Different Start

Aubrey set the last box down on the bed, looking at Chloe’s side of the room, noticing that the bed was ruffled, meaning the redhead had gotten there a day before her. She figured she must be at the activities fair, helping pass out flyers for the Bellas. They needed four new girls, and Aubrey should go down and help, but she felt more like crawling into a hole than anything else.

She unpacked her things, effortlessly putting them in the same places they had been the previous year, before throwing her blankets onto the bed and crawling underneath them. She was almost drifting to sleep an hour later when the door to the room opened, Chloe walking in, a smile on her face when she saw the blonde. “Hey!”

Aubrey pulled the blanket over her head, groaning. “Not right now,” she choked out.

“Hey,” Chloe said again, softer and closer. Aubrey pulled the blanket down, meeting those blue eyes she had missed all summer. “What’s wrong?”

She shook her head, blanket going back over her face.

“Tell me, or I will make Alice come up here.”

“My dad said I have to quit the Bellas. It is a waste of time and doing nothing for my future career as a lawyer.”

“Are you going to listen to him?”

Aubrey closed her eyes, unable to ignore the sadness in her friends voice. “I don’t have a choice, Chloe. He’s my dad. He expects the best of me. If he says it is a waste of time, then it is.”

The blanket pulled back, Chloe bringing her face closer. “I watched you last year, Aubrey, and you had fun. Despite Alice being a complete bitch to us, some of the other girls were amazing to us. And we are no longer the freshman. We aren’t the newbies anymore. There are going to be four girls that we can make their lives a living hell. Bree, you can’t leave me.”

“You don’t know my dad, Chloe. He will make my life horrible. I have fun with you and the Bellas and that is the problem. It isn’t helping with my education. I mean, we didn’t even win anything. Thus, waste of time.”

Chloe sat back on her heels. “Aubrey, please, listen to me. Your dad will just have to get over it. Maybe if you pick up an extra class somewhere, it can balance out? If he sees you making more of an effort with schoolwork, he might let you have one thing for you, because it makes you happy!” she said. “Now tell me what else is bothering you.”

Aubrey rolled her eyes, hating the way Chloe could read her like a book even after three months apart. It had been a year since she first laid eyes on the redhead, and it hadn’t gone away. It was now or never. She sat up, looking at her hands. “You promise you won’t hate me?”

“I could never hate you.”

She looked at the redhead. “Have you ever looked at someone and known they were the one you wanted to be with? Like, when you look at them, the pit of your stomach goes into this knot feeling and your breath catches in your throat and you just want to smile? You care about them, and the only thing you want to do is see them happy. I mean, even if they are happy with someone else and you are forced to die inside. Have you ever felt that way?”

Chloe thought about it for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I think I have. I think,” she said, moving to sit on the edge of the bed.

“If you have a crush on someone, but it lasts longer than four months, it is love,” she began. “Chloe.. I don’t tell people anything. I lock myself up to focus on protecting myself from distractions, but I can’t do that with you. A week after I met you, I took to mentally smacking myself to try and get rid of thoughts and feelings. When I hit the four month mark, and all I wanted to do was kiss you, I knew I was in trouble.”

“Aubrey..”

“Let me finish,” she snapped. “I was so happy when whatever his name was hurt you, because you were free, but you were hurting because you cared about him, and I just shoved everything down to make sure you were okay. I told my parents that I had fallen in love, and when they asked who the distinguished young man was, my dad lost it when I told him it was my female roommate.. my best friend.. a fellow Bella. That is why he told me to quit. He said it was ruining his daughter and that if I was in love with you, I would never be anything. I can’t hide it, though, Chloe. I fell in love with you, and I never want you out of my life, but I can’t be just your friend. It hurts too much.”

Chloe smiled, her hands gripping either side of Aubrey’s face and pressing their lips together. Aubrey noted how sweet it was, despite there being some force behind it. She found herself letting out a small whimper when the redhead pulled away, keeping her face close. “I can’t say if I am in love or not, because I still have about two months to go on my metaphorical four, but I am not going to let you slip away that easily. I am willing to try this.. willing to try you.. because you are my friend and I care about you and part of me is so unsure about this, but the other part of me is screaming to go for it.”

Aubrey pulled her in for another kiss, the smile still firmly on her face. “Just promise me that if we don’t work, I am not going to be called some college experiment, okay? I still want to be your best friend.”

“You know me better than anyone,” she whispered, the smile still on her face. “But I need you to promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“Stop letting your dad get to you, Aubrey. You don’t see it now, but it is going to destroy you. I don’t want to see that.”

Aubrey pulled back, leaning against the wall. “You make it sound so easy, Chloe. You don’t know him.”

The redhead remained silent.

“My entire life, I have had to be perfect. I have had to be his standards of perfect. If I want his love, then I have to be a winner. Losers just.. aren’t acceptable.”

“Take me home with you for Thanksgiving. Introduce me as your girlfriend. Let me meet him, and maybe I will understand then. I still think you are perfect the way you are.”

Aubrey shook her head. “I have too many flaws.”

“That’s what makes you perfect, Aubrey! Your flaws make you normal.” Chloe climbed to her on the bed, leaning her head on her shoulder. “If you want me to drop it, I will.”

“Thank you,” she mumbled, linking her fingers with Chloe’s. “I promise one day we can talk about it, but not right now. Not when I want to be happy. If we sit here and let me dwell on my dad, we are never going to be happy.”

\---

“Chloe, can you stay for a moment?” Alice asked, watching as Chloe gave Aubrey a slight nudge towards the door before turning around and walking back to the leader of the Bellas. She wanted until the auditorium had cleared before turning her attention on the redhead. “At the risk of some of the other Bellas being upset, I have taken it as my personal choice to give you a solo for Regionals. You will have Turn The Beat Around, and if you eff it up, you might not be allowed back next school year, understood?”

Chloe nodded, biting down on her tongue to keep herself in control.

“You can leave now.”

She nodded again, grabbing her bag and running into the sunshine, her arms wrapping around Aubrey when she saw the blonde waiting. “Someone is happy,” Aubrey said, laughing.

“I got the solo for Turn The Beat Around!” she exclaimed, not missing the quick frown that crossed Aubrey’s face. She stopped bouncing, her eyes meeting her girlfriends. “Oh, I can’t believe I completely forgot you wanted that one!”

Aubrey shook her head, smiling again, wiping tears from her eyes. “It’s fine. You’re voice is ten times better than mine, Chlo. You deserve this,” she whispered, placing a soft kiss on her lips. “I am nothing but happy for you.”

Chloe smiled, slightly unsure, as they linked their fingers together and headed to their dorm. Chloe was expecting their normal routine to happen, where Aubrey would curl up in bed with her -- because they swore Chloe’s bed was slightly bigger -- and they would put on a movie, but she couldn’t stop the ache in her chest when Aubrey simply grabbed her bathroom bag and a towel and left the room. Yes, Chloe had wanted a solo, but when it ended up being the one her girlfriend wanted so badly, she couldn’t bring herself to be excited about it.

She curled up in her bed, staring at the wall. Half an hour later, Aubrey came back in the room.

“Are you sleeping over here tonight?” she asked, her voice quiet as she turned to look at Aubrey. The blonde was sitting on the edge of her own bed, watching Chloe.

“No.”

“Aubrey..”

“Don’t.”

Chloe nodded, keeping her eyes on Aubrey. “Goodnight, Bree.”

“Night.”

\---

They lost at Regionals, but Chloe could breathe a sigh of relief because it wasn’t her that messed up. She knew it was their music, but she would never vocalize that. Alice kept them on their rehearsal schedule, and the slow distance that was growing between herself and Aubrey started to show to others. Alice pulled Chloe aside the night before the Bellas were leaving for the summer. “What is going on between you and Aubrey? It is starting to throw off the dynamic of the group.”

Chloe shook her head. “If I knew, I would tell you,” she whispered, trying to keep the tears hidden. She knew Alice had a reputation for being heartless, and seeing as her and Aubrey still remained the youngest Bellas, she tried to act older more often than not. “I swear I just.. I don’t know.”

The older woman looked at her, eyebrow raised. “Make sure the two of you have your shit together before fall,” she said before stepping away. Chloe wiped at her eyes, grabbing her bag and almost running back to her dorm, noticing that Aubrey had her things packed neatly. The blonde was already curled up in her bed.

Chloe took off her shoes, climbing under the covers and wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. “Please talk to me,” she whispered. “I don’t want to go home for the summer without knowing what I did wrong.”

Aubrey shifted, turning to look at the redhead. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Chloe. I promise you didn’t. I just.. it is what my dad always told me.. I am just not good enough. Not good enough for the Bellas, and definitely not good enough for you.”

“I am not letting you break up with me the night before summer break.”

Aubrey shook her head. “I am not breaking up with you.. you wouldn’t let me, anyways, would you? You would follow me to Indiana.”

“I would follow you anywhere,” she replied, pressing their foreheads together. “I love you, and please tell me that if I give you the summer to think, we can be okay when we get back here, please?”

“I love you, too, Chloe. We are okay. We are going to be okay. I promise. I am going to come see you in July, okay? I will drive down and see you for the entire month. It will keep me going with my dad, I know it will. I need that to look forward to, okay?”

Chloe nodded, kissing Aubrey. “I’ll be counting the days.”


	3. The First Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the first half of the chapter. I wanted to get this out there because I feel like I have been abandoning this fic.

  
Her fingers seemed to stumble at first, unsure of their movements, but they quickly seemed to catch on. She lightly brushed over the smooth skin, tracing light patterns on the collarbones that jutted out in that perfect way. She pushed red hair out of the way, wanting to explore every inch of skin possible. They had been together for a year, but this finally felt right.

She finally moved on from her shoulders, sliding down to her breasts, massaging gently, memorizing the feel of the nipples as they hardened under her touch. The skin was smooth, her eyes taking in how Chloe’s chest rose and fell evenly, her breathing deep. Their eyes met, a smile playing at the redheads lips. Aubrey went into this knowing Chloe had far more experience in the bedroom than her, but Aubrey liked to memorize things. Her lips went to Chloe’s neck, gently biting before placing a soft kiss on the skin, starting a trail from her jaw to her collarbones.

Her hands were somewhere around Chloe’s stomach, splayed across the skin, resting lightly as her lips moved to the valley between her breasts, feeling an ache in the bottom of her stomach when Chloe’s breath hitched with each kiss. She wanted nothing more than to hurry, but this was special. Aubrey knew she wouldn’t get this moment again. They had one first time together, and if she rushed it, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself. Her lips were at Chloe’s stomach now, and she felt hands tangling in her hair, not pushing her to move, just resting there, like it was the only thing she had to hold on to to make this real.

She let her hands slide to Chloe’s hips -- then to her thighs -- feeling the muscles tighten under her grasp. Chloe’s breaths were becoming more rough, back arching off the bed ever so slightly. A whimper fell from her lips as Aubrey kissed her inner thigh, running a trail from her knee up, finally bringing her fingers to Chloe’s center, slowly running them over the wet folds, her eyes focused on the redhead, whose head had fallen back on the bed, a low moan escaping her throat.

Chloe had made comments and jokes about Aubrey’s fingers -- how long and slender they were -- and it only fueled Aubrey to move slower as she easily slid two fingers into her girlfriend, smirking as the redhead inhaled, almost forgetting how to breathe, it seemed. She picked up a slow rhythm, only using the top half of her fingers, watching as Chloe began rocking her hips to the motions, ragged breaths turning into quiet whimpers.

Aubrey brought her head down, her tongue sliding over Chloe’s clit, the redhead letting out a loud groan, her hips trying to grind closer. The blonde had been hesitant, but the second she tasted her girlfriend, she was obsessed. Her mouth covered the bud as her fingers pushed to the knuckles, Chloe’s moan filling the room as her nerves stood on end. “Bree,” Chloe whispered, her bottom lip getting caught between her teeth as she hissed, her body rolling in time with fingers and tongue.

She was new at this, but Aubrey didn’t need any other indication that she was doing something right. She could feel the muscles tighten and loosen around her fingers as she slid them in then out and then back in, pushing as hard as she could, never wanting the noises her girlfriend was making to stop. They urged her on -- begging her to go harder and faster. Her teeth grazed across that bundle of nerves, and she felt Chloe falling. Her own name echoing off of the walls -- Chloe’s hands still in her hair, pulling and tugging as her screams turned into groans which drifted into whimpers before ebbing into nothing more than heavy pants.

Aubrey kissed a trail from hips -- back up the middle of Chloe’s stomach and chest -- stopping as she dropped onto the bed beside the redhead, her own breathing heavy. Chloe turned her head, placing a kiss on her mouth, her tongue sliding over Aubrey’s bottom lip, tasting herself before gently biting down, her hand running down Aubrey’s front, stopping to run her thumb over a nipple, the whimper from Aubrey being swallowed in the kiss. Chloe broke the kiss first, her forehead pressed to the blondes as her hand continued down, swiftly slipping into the wet folds, her fingers sliding in and out as her thumb rubbed slow circles over Aubrey’s clit. “I love you,” she whispered, picking up her pace, knowing it wasn’t going to take much.

“I.. love.. you..” Aubrey let out, her nails digging into Chloe’s back as the redhead climbed on top of her, letting her thigh apply that extra amount of pressure as her body moved in time with the blondes. “Fuck,” she hissed, nails etching angry red lines that were sure to draw blood as she felt herself nearing that cliff. The only thought her mind formed as she started to fall was how amazing it felt. It was nothing like when she touched herself, sometimes pulling away before she ever came, afraid of letting loose. With Chloe, she let it ride out, not caring about the noises she made or how every inch of her body tensed up before slowly shaking, her chest pounding as her head spun.

Any stress that had been in her body over the summer from confrontations with her father to worrying about the Bellas was melting away, the only thing mattering in that moment was how the redhead folded into her, pulling the blankets around them. Red hair -- hair that always seemed to smell like strawberries -- splaying across the pillow and her skin. Soft breath on her neck as Chloe drifted into sleep. She felt like she could do anything, just as long as she could come back to this moment every night.

Chloe’s body was warm, pressed into her side, an arm around her waist and a leg wrapped in between hers, almost as if she was afraid Aubrey would run away in the middle of the night. The blonde watched the ceiling for almost a half an hour before exhaustion finally took over, placing a soft kiss on top of Chloe’s head, pulling her closer, closing her eyes.


	4. An End

Chloe couldn’t help but feel like she had done something wrong. That night at the beginning of the year stretched further and further behind them as Bellas kicked into gear. Aubrey had been given a solo in The Sign and Chloe had been pushed to the back. She was still in the front in the Bellas, but she could feel Aubrey pulling away, that need to be perfect pressing down on her.

They made it through Regionals. Alice had even given Chloe praise on her voice during Turn The Beat Around. She had sat down next to Aubrey on the ride back to Barden, frowning when her girlfriend pulled her hand away. She chalked it up to Aubrey being tired and she instead focused her attention on watching the streetlights fly by as they drove.

They made it through Semi-Finals. They were going to be going to Finals, and that was when Aubrey was told about the solo. Chloe had been sitting in their dorm, stretched out on her own bed, when Aubrey ran in, a smile on her face. Chloe had been happy for her, and thought it might make things better.

The way Aubrey had pulled her to her feet, arms snaking around her waist and the way their lips melted together gave her hope. Hope that left her lungs like she had been punched when she woke up in the morning without Aubrey next to her. She had pulled her pajamas on and gone to the showers, letting the water wash away her tears.

Finals. Aubrey.. blew it. Chloe was the only one by her, despite the fact that Chloe didn’t know if she was wanted there anymore. They sat alone at the back of the bus on the drive home, Aubrey avoiding even looking at her girlfriend. They were silent until they were back in the dorm, Chloe getting their shower things together. “Bree..”

“Not right now, Chloe, okay? I just..” she stormed off to the showers, Chloe on her heels. By the time she caught up to her, Aubrey was in the shower, the water running. Chloe could hear the sniffs and sobs. She stripped out of her clothes and stepped around the curtain, her arms sliding around Aubrey. “My dad was right, Chloe.”

“No, he wasn’t. This isn’t your fault. If anything, this is his fault. He put so much pressure on you.. Alice did too. Bree, this was all them, because I still think you are amazing,” she mumbled, placing kisses across Aubrey’s shoulders. “You stressed yourself out because everyone was putting these high expectations on you. The pressure was high for all of us, Aubrey, because we were in the Finals, okay? Just.. please, don’t blame yourself for this, okay?”

She spun the blonde around, continuing her trail of kisses up Aubrey’s jaw line, pulling her closer. Their lips connected and Chloe bit down on her girlfriends bottom lip, pulling away slightly before letting her hands fall from shoulders to her breasts. Aubrey let a moan escape her lips, tilting her head back as Chloe moved her mouth to the one spot on her neck that she knew drove her girlfriend crazy. Chloe let her right hand drift lower, easily sliding two fingers into Aubrey, twisting and turning them, smirking against flesh as Aubrey’s hips bucked towards her hand.

“You just need a little healthy release,” she mumbled, her lips pressed to Aubrey’s ear. Her left arm curled around her waist, holding her up as she worked her fingers faster, her thumb rubbing slow but rough circles on her clit. She smirked, feeling Aubrey tighten around her before letting out a groan as her body tensed up, her face finding Chloe’s neck as her body shook with her orgasm.

She moved her hands, first rubbing small circles on Aubrey’s lower back before pulling her close, kissing her. “Thank you, Chloe,” Aubrey mumbled, pulling back and pressing their foreheads together. “For this.. for being there for me.. for believing in me.”

Chloe smiled, gently washing Aubrey’s body before her own, keeping silent. Once they were back in their room, Aubrey climbed into bed, looking at Chloe. The redhead moved under the covers, pressing her body as close to Aubrey’s as she could. “Bree, I am always going to believe in you, no matter what. Please, remember that, okay? Nothing you can do is ever going to make me not love you or not care about you.”

“I’ve been horrible to you, though, Chloe. I’ve ignored you because I finally got that solo and I just.. what happens next year? We are the laughing stock of this school, and we have to find eight new girls. No one is going to want to join the Bellas!” she said, her voice tense.

“Bree, calm down. It is going to be okay, got it? We are going to be fine. I promise.”

Aubrey nodded, her eyes locked on Chloe’s. “Okay,” she whispered.

\---

“Bree! I think I found that movie you were looking for the other day,” Chloe said, entering the living room of their apartment. She looked up, noticing how the room was quiet. Aubrey was sitting on the couch, staring at the wall, her phone in her hand. “Bree?”

The blonde looked up, confusion and pain etched into her features. “My.. my dad.. he, uh, he had a heart attack last night,” she mumbled, letting the phone fall to the floor. “He died.”

Chloe sat down on the couch next to her, her arm wrapping around the woman as she leaned into her. Her mouth opened and closed a few times before giving up on trying to formulate a response.

“The last thing he ever said to me was how I was such a disappointment. He never wanted to see me again.. and I said he was horrible and I hated him and he was ruining my life and if I never had to see his face again, I would be perfectly happy.. but.. Chloe.. I’m not happy. He was my dad, I loved him and I said these horrible things to him and now he is gone and I can’t take it back,” she said, letting the tears fall down her cheeks. Chloe pulled her closer to her, kissing the top of her head. “I don’t get to tell him that I was sorry.”

“I’ll book us flights. Chicago is the easiest place to fly into, right? We can rent a car and drive to Gary,” she said, rubbing Aubrey’s back. “Just tell me what you need me to do, Aubrey, because I will do it.”

“Don’t let go of me,” she mumbled, her fingers hooking into Chloe’s shirt, pulling her to her. “It hurts, Chloe. I don’t know why this hurts so bad. He was so horrible to me but it hurts!”

“He was your dad, Bree. No matter how much of a jerk he was, he was still your dad and it is going to hurt, but you aren’t alone. I am going to be right here and I won’t let go of you until you tell me to, and even then I won’t. I love you, Bree, so much,” she whispered. “I’ll never leave you.”


	5. Reconnecting

“You are overly nice,” Aubrey said, sighing as she set the clipboard on the table. Chloe looked at her, confused.

“What is that supposed to mean?” she asked, watching the blonde carefully.

“That alternative girl,” she snapped. Her mouth opened to say something else, but she closed it just as quickly.

"What? You've never been one to keep your mouth shut for long," she replied. Aubrey rolled her eyes. "Are you jealous?"

"No."

Chloe laughed. "Bree, honey, you have nothing to be jealous about." She looked in the direction the girl had gone. "We could always see if she is up for a threesome," she said, immediately regretting it when Aubrey shot her a look. "Sorry."

The blonde shook her head. "My dad always says.." her voiced trailed off, tears springing to her eyes. Chloe grabbed her hand, frowning when she pulled away. "Do you have the rest of this today? I'm going to go home and lay down."

Chloe nodded, watching Aubrey grab her purse and walk off. If they hasn't needed girls so bad, she would have packed it in. She knew the loss of her father just a month ago was still fresh in her mind, and it hurt that Aubrey wouldn't open up to her about it. She set a pile of the fliers on the table, vaguely paying attention as people walked by, some people grabbing the paper.

Five o'clock rolled around faster than she expected. She packed up the table, taking her time in walking back to the apartment. Aubrey was asleep on the bed, so she tried to be as quiet as possible as she changed into a tank top and loose fitting pajama pants. She took a seat on the couch, staring straight ahead instead of turning on the television like she planned.

She got up, moving to her purse on the counter and digging her phone out. Easily finding her moms name in her contacts, she hit call and put the phone to her ear. "Hi, mama," she said, trying to keep the sadness out of her voice.

"Hey, baby! How did recruiting go?" Jillian asked.

"As good as can be expected. If Aubrey doesn't loosen the standards from last year, we aren't going to get anyone. I hate how shallow it seems. The whole campus sees us as a joke," she groaned, flopping onto the couch.

"How is she doing?"

Chloe looked towards the bedroom. "As good as can be expected, I guess. It's rough. She won't let me in. It's like.. we have been growing apart for a while. I'm the only one making an effort to keep the relationship together. I don't want to be just another person that has given up on her."

"She needs time, Chloe. Losing a parent is tough, especially at her age. You just have to be patient. Be there for her when she needs you."

Chloe bit down on her lip. "Mama, what if she doesn't need me anymore?"

“Honey, breathe. How long have you two been friends? How long have you been together? You know how she works, Chloe. She needs you now more than ever, even if she can’t quite admit it yet.”

“I don’t know what to do, mama. I always know what to do but now I don’t. I don’t know what she is going through! I have you and I have daddy. Aubrey wasn’t close to her dad and this is destroying her.. I don’t know what it would do to me if I lost either of you.”

Jillian was silent for a moment. “Has she been eating? Sleeping?”

“She is asleep right now.. I think she has been living on cigarettes and Diet Coke, though. I’ve tried to get her to go out with me or to make her something, but she just turns it down and stays in bed.”

“Chloe, it is perfectly normal to be unsure of what to do, I want you to remember that. You always did have a knack for getting under people’s skin, but it is only because you care about them. Aubrey is not only your best friend, but she is your girlfriend, and that gives you even more of a reason to care. Yes, she is hurting and yes, she is shutting you out, but you need to just sit back and let her come to you. Don’t push her to talk. Don’t force her to do anything she doesn’t want to. I know it is hard, but you have to let her handle this in her own way, baby, alright? You have to make sure that she knows you are going to be there when she is ready, and never, ever, pass up the moment to tell her that you love her.”

Chloe looked up, seeing the bedroom door opening. “Mama, I gotta go. Aubrey’s awake. I’ll call you this weekend, I love you,” she said, ending the call and standing up. She stood awkwardly, looking at her girlfriend. “I love you,” she said, her voice soft. “I just.. I want you to know that. I love you.”

“Is this the beginning of a breakup speech?” Aubrey asked. Her voice was hoarse, and Chloe didn’t miss how red her eyes were.

Chloe shook her head, crossing the room and wrapping her arms around Aubrey’s shoulders, pulling her close. She smiled into the blondes neck when she felt arms sliding around her waist. “No, I would never give you a breakup speech. I just.. I wanted you to know that I am here for you, even if you don’t want me to be right now.”

Aubrey held Chloe a little tighter, placing a kiss on the top of her head. “Chlo.. I always want you here. I don’t know what is wrong with me. He was horrible to me, and I shouldn’t care this much, but I wake up every morning and it is just so hard to get out of bed. There was so much for him and I to resolve and I didn’t even get to tell him goodbye. Why does this bother me so much?”

Chloe led them to the couch, sitting down, her lips placing a soft kiss on Aubrey’s cheek. “Because he was your dad.”

“I’m sorry that I got defensive over that girl at the fair today,” she whispered, looking at her hands. “I just.. Chloe, there are so many other people out there that are better than me. I am neurotic, uptight, bitchy and stiff. I don’t know what you see in me.”

“I see someone who listened to me when no one else would. Someone who was my cheerleader, even when I was getting something that she wanted. Bree, I remember when I first realized that I was falling in love with you. We were laying in your bed, because I had been dumped, and you just held me and let me cry over it. I was scared to admit it, but in that moment.. I wish I would have kissed you then instead of waiting months. You care about me, Aubrey, and I needed that more than anything in my life when I started here. And look at us! We are in our last year of college, and we are going to find the perfect members for the Bellas and we are going to win.”

Aubrey shook her head, leaning back. “What if no one wants to be a Bella?”

“Don’t think about that right now, Bree, okay? How about, for right now, we just.. we order pizza and curl up on the couch and eat it right from the box? We can act like we are in our freshman year again, but without the limits of a dorm room.. and the fact that we are dating. We can watch a movie and then we can go to bed. We can curl up together and I can get lost in you. This, right here,” she motions to their linked hands and the way her leg is tangled between Aubrey’s, “is the most contact we have had in over a month, Bree. I just want to feel you again. I miss you.”

“I’ve been right here,” she replied.

“That isn’t what I mean,” she mumbled, leaning over and pressing her lips to Aubrey’s, moving her body so she was straddling the blonde. Aubrey leaned into the kiss, a moan escaping her lips as Chloe rolled her body against hers. The redhead pulled back, moving her lips to Aubrey’s pulse point.

“Fuck,” the blonde hissed. She closed her eyes, biting down on her lip as Chloe slid her hand underneath the waistband of her pajama pants, rubbing slow circles on her clit through the fabric of her underwear. “I want you,” she mumbled, her hand coming up to tangle in Chloe’s hair.

“You want me? Want me what?” she mumbled, her teeth grazing over skin.

“I want you to fuck me,” she groaned, her hips bucking as Chloe moved her underwear to the side, easily sliding two fingers into her. She tried to wiggle her body enough to have some form of contact on her clit, but Chloe kept her hand at an angle where it was just out of reach. “Chlo..”

“No, I want to make this last,” she replied, moving her body in time with her hand, watching as Aubrey let her eyes close. “You’re so wet,” she whispered, her lips pressed to Aubrey’s ear. “But.. Bree.. you are so quiet. Am I not doing a good enough job?” She bit down on her earlobe, pulling slightly as she slid a third finger into her girlfriend, feeling Aubrey’s back arch off the couch.

A loud moan echoed through the room, followed by a series of whimpers. “Chloe.. fuck.. me,” she cried, the whimpers turning into louder moans. “I’m so close.”

“Cum for me, Bree.”

Aubrey nodded, biting down hard on her lower lip, tasting blood as her back arched again, a groan leaving her throat as her body shook. Chloe kept up her pace, watching as Aubrey rode out her orgasm, clenching around her fingers until she let out a long breath, her hands resting on Chloe’s hips. “God, you’re amazing.”

Chloe removed her hand, slowly licking each finger clean, her eyes locked on Aubrey’s. “You taste amazing,” she said, leaning down to kiss Aubrey. “I think we should go to bed.” She easily climbed off the couch, discarding her clothes on the walk to the bedroom. Aubrey followed, pinning Chloe to the wall in the hallway, her head dipping to bite along her neck before leaning down, bringing a nipple into her mouth, rolling it with her tongue.

She didn’t miss the thunk of Chloe’s head falling back against the wall. She stepped back slightly, stripping out of her clothes before pressing her body against the redheads. She easily grabbed Chloe’s left thigh, pulling it up to wrap around her waist as she easily, yet roughly, slid three fingers into her girlfriend, causing Chloe to cry out in pleasure. Aubrey began a rough pace, keeping as much contact between their bodies as she could, her forehead pressed to Chloe’s, their eyes locked.

“Fuck.. slow down.. I’m gonna..” Chloe moaned, her words cut off by the moan working its way out of her mouth as she came, her nails etching red trails into Aubrey’s back. “Fuck.”

Aubrey pulled away slightly, pushing Chloe into the bedroom, expertly keeping her fingers buried in the redhead. “I’m not done,” she mumbled, watching Chloe fall backwards onto the bed, easily picking up the same fast pace. “I love you,” she whispered, pressing her lips to Chloe’s. “And I love watching you come undone.”


	6. Confessions

Aubrey was back at their apartment, sleeping finally, so she had decided to get her friend Kirsten to let her into the showers in Baker Hall to shower. Chloe knew she should have respected alternative girls private space, but it was her diddle jam and it was beautiful. She came on strong, and despite getting the younger woman to sing with her, she was kicking herself for the glances she stole. It wasn’t like she was going to use the mental image of the freshman next time she was alone, but it still felt like a betrayal.

But alternative girl was good. Not just bathroom enhancing acoustics good, but really good. So much for that whole not really singing statement. Chloe hoped the woman would show up at auditions the next day, but she wasn’t going to hold her breath. Aubrey was on the couch when she returned, watching something on her laptop. “Hey,” she said, setting her bag down and moving to the couch, curling up next to the blonde.

“Where were you?”

“Went over to the campus and showered. I didn’t want to make too much noise and wake you up,” she replied, grabbing one of Aubrey’s hands and linking their fingers. “Did you get enough sleep?” she mumbled, curling into her girlfriends side.

“I think so. I mean, it was more than the hour a night I had been getting, right?” she asked, closing her laptop and turning her attention to Chloe. “We are going to be fine tomorrow, right?”

“Of course, Bree,” she said, leaning in to kiss Aubrey. “You want to know a secret?”

“What?” Aubrey asked, a smile on her face.

“We are going to kick ass this year. Bumper and those other assholes are going down.”

Aubrey nodded, the smile faltering. “I am so glad you have enough confidence for the both of us, Chloe. Because, no matter how hard I try, I can’t be that optimistic.” She looking down at her hands for a moment before turning her gaze back to the redhead. Her mouth opened, then closed before anything came out.

“Bree, talk to me.”

She shook her head. “I promised you a while back that I would stop thinking like this..”

“Aubrey.”

“I just.. I still feel that pressure to be perfect, Chloe! He’s been dead for two months and it is like I can still feel him breathing down my neck telling me that I am not good enough! I am never going to be able to escape him, and I was always taught not to speak ill of the dead, but I fucking hate him. I hate him for everything he did to me and for how much he messed me up! How do I get over this, Chloe? How do I stop feeling the need to be perfect?”

Chloe wrapped her arms around the blonde, holding her tightly. “I’ve said it before, Bree. You are perfect. I don’t give a shit what the rest of the world says, because to me, right now, even seeing you cry, you are perfect. You have flaws and emotions. It makes you human, not a failure.” She took a deep breath. “Your dad was trying to create a robot mindset in you, and that isn’t right. He wanted you to have that one set goal and to be able to crush anyone who got in your way. I like to think the reason he hated me so much was because I showed you that it was okay to be broken.”

“It’s your fault he hated me! You and your bullshit about being imperfect. I let that sink in and I was weak and it was stupid to listen to you!” she yelled, trying to pull away from her girlfriend, letting out a frustrated yell when Chloe refused to loosen her grip. “You made me weak!”

Chloe closed her eyes, not letting Aubrey’s words sink in. She tightened her grip, letting out a breath as Aubrey folded into her, sobs shaking her body. “It’s okay to cry, Bree. You can’t hold everything in. If you need to yell at me to justify his faults, then you can yell all day. I am not going anywhere.”

“You should. You should leave me. Maybe then I could stop dragging you down,” Aubrey mumbled, her face pressed into Chloe’s neck. “I’m horrible.”

“No, you aren’t, Bree. You are strong-willed and it isn’t like I can expect what you have been taught your entire life to just turn around because I say it should. I push you, and that isn’t very nice of me, but I just.. I want you to listen to me, sometimes. You always shoot me down when I try and make a point, and it is exhausting, but I am not going to leave you. You are not dragging me down. If you were dragging me down, I would have been long gone by now, but it has been two years since we first kissed and I swear to whatever is up there, I would never take it back.”

Aubrey pulled away slightly, keeping the grip she had on Chloe’s shirt. “Where did you come from?” she asked, her voice soft. “I mean, Chloe, people like you only exist in movies.”

“You bring out the best in me, Bree, and don’t ever forget that, okay?”

Aubrey nodded.

“Come on, it may seem early, but I think I want to curl up in bed until we have to be at the auditorium tomorrow.”

* * *

 

Aubrey shut the apartment door behind her, one arm wrapped around Chloe’s waist. “You are going to be so sick in a few hours,” she mumbled, shaking her head at her girlfriend. Chloe giggled, nuzzling her face into the blonde's neck. “How much did you have to drink tonight?”

“A lot!” she chuckled, letting Aubrey lead her to the bedroom. “Ms. Posen, are you going to take advantage of me?” she asked, letting Aubrey take her jacket off before sliding her shirt over her head.

“No, I am going to get you into some pajamas before tossing you into bed to get some sleep. Just because you are hungover does not mean you are getting out of the first day of rehearsals, Chloe.”

The redhead pouted, taking off her own shoes and jeans before sitting on the bed. Aubrey dug around the dresser for a tank top and shorts for her girlfriend, turning around. “Dress me,” Chloe stated, still pouting.

“You are twenty-one, Chloe. I am not going to dress you.”

She jutted her lower lip out.

“Fine. You win.” She tried to bite back the smile as she helped the tipsy redhead into her pajamas. Chloe climbed onto the bed when she was done, looking at the blonde.

“I met Beca before tonight!” she said, her eyes wide.

“I know you did, Chloe. At the activities fair. I was there, too, you know.”

Chloe shook her head, her hair flying wildly. “No! The other day!”

Aubrey sat at the edge of the bed, watching her carefully.

“When I went to shower over on campus! I was minding my own business and I heard this voice singing Titanium, and you know how much I love that song! So, I went and peeked around the shower curtain, and it was her, Bree! It was Beca, and her voice was amazing, so I made her sing.”

“You walked into her shower? Naked?” Aubrey asked, her throat feeling dry.

“Silly, it wasn’t like that! I mean, maybe I did sneak a look or two, but how can you not? You have to admit she is hot!”

“Chloe.. I.. You..” she stammered, standing up. “I am going to sleep on the couch. Make sure you get some water and aspirin when you wake up before you head to rehearsals in the morning. I don’t need your hangover dragging everyone down,” she said, walking out of the room. Chloe stared after her for a moment, replaying the conversation through her fuzzy mind. When she finally caught up, she jumped out of bed and ran to the living room, throwing her arms around Aubrey before the woman sat down.

“I am a fucking idiot,” she mumbled, suddenly feeling sober. “I’m sorry, Bree. I swear I am. All I did was sing and look a little. I should have just told you, but I already knew that you hated her and we just started being good again and I didn’t want to ruin that.”

Aubrey pried herself out of Chloe’s arms. “I don’t even know what to say to that, Chloe. You can’t just tell me that you walked into her shower -- naked -- and expect me to be okay with it just because you said you were sorry. What in the hell is wrong with you?”

Chloe look at the floor, keeping her mouth shut.

“When we look back on tonight, yes, I might be overreacting just slightly, but, Chloe, last time I checked, no matter how good a voice is, when you are in a relationship, you do not go walking into other womens showers!”

“This is why I didn’t tell you,” Chloe whispered. “I didn’t want to fight.”

Aubrey looked at the redhead, noting how her voice sounded more like a child than anything, and her face immediately softened. “So, you would rather lie than tell me the truth even if we disagree?”

“It’s easier. I don’t like it when you are mad at me. I can’t stand it. The last time we fought, you didn’t talk to me for almost a week unless you desperately had to!” She sat down on the couch. “Aubrey, I love you, okay? Only you. Nothing is going to change that. You know me and singing. It’s the only thing I am good at anymore, and her voice was just.. perfect. You saw it when she auditioned! She has the talent.”

“Is this where you spit out the line of if you had never walked into her shower, she would have never come to audition? Did you ever think of, you know, waiting outside the shower? Talk to her afterwards?” Aubrey said, sitting next to Chloe. “I’ll admit it, Chloe, I get jealous, okay? I saw the way she looked at you during her audition. And then, at hood night, you just.. you got so close to her, and I was worried. Do you remember when we first met? You were like that with me, too, and now we are here. I think I have every right to be slightly scared for our relationship.”

The redhead wrapped her arm around Aubrey’s waist, leaning back on the couch. “Aubrey, who did I come home with? Who do I always come home with, no matter what?”

“Me.”

“Exactly. I am always going to come home to you, because you are the most important thing in my life, understand? It will always be you.”


	7. We Fight Because We Care

Aubrey sat up, squinting against the light coming through the curtain. Her breath was shallow, the edges of the nightmare that woke her starting to fade. She turned to look next to her, seeing Chloe still sound asleep. “Fuck,” she whispered, climbing out of bed slowly. She headed into the kitchen, opting to just microwave hot water for tea instead of making too much noise. She sat down on the couch, her eyes focused on the Christmas tree in the corner.

Her first Christmas without her dad. Setting the mug on the table, she moved across the room and sat by the tree, running her fingers over the old and worn ornament sitting on a bottom branch. It contained a picture of her and her dad, before he began teaching her that being perfect was the only way to live. She couldn’t stop the tears that were in her eyes, putting her hands over her mouth to try and mute the sobs.

Before she could even register the bedroom door opening, Chloe had her arms around her tightly. “It’s okay, Bree, I’m here,” she whispered, slowly rocking the blonde back and forth. “Just let it out.”

“I don’t want to miss him,” she cried, her arms wrapping around Chloe. “I can’t help it, though. There is this sadness that I just can’t shake. It is like a battle. I try and I try to forget him and everything he would say to me, but then it just all comes back in one wave and I don’t know what to do with myself.” She pulled back slightly, looking at the redhead. “I am scared of what I would do if I didn’t have you right now.”

Chloe held her tighter, kissing the side of her head. “I try to not let that thought cross my mind,” she mumbled. “I know you wouldn’t believe me if I told you that I know you would be fine.”

“I’m ruining Christmas morning,” Aubrey said, pulling away. She wiped her eyes, laughing at herself. “I am such a mess.”

Chloe smiled, pushing some hair back from Aubrey’s face. “But you’re my mess,” she replied.

“I got you a present,” she mumbled, reaching for a small package under the tree. She handed it to her girlfriend, watching her unwrap it slowly. Chloe opened the box, gasping as she looked at the necklace. “Do you like it?”

Chloe ran her fingers over the diamond studded item, nodding her head slowly. “Bree, it’s beautiful. Now I feel like crap because my present is in no way shape or form this amazing,” she said, taking the necklace from the box and easily hooking it around her neck.

Aubrey reached for the square shaped item sitting by her knee. She unwrapped it slowly, careful to not rip the paper. She ran her fingers over the front of the book, smiling at the handwriting lettering spelling out her and Chloe's names.

"Open it."

The blonde did as she was told, the smile on her face growing as she looked at the various pictures Chloe had taken of the two in their three years at Barden. The way they had been arranged showed the progression of their relationship, with the last picture of them taken at the beginning of the year. Chloe had taken her out to dinner on their two year anniversary. She had thought that asking the waiter to take their photo was weird, but looking at it now and seeing how happy they both were made the awkward moment worth it. "Chloe, it's perfect!"

"The second half of it is empty so we can continue to fill it. And when we run out of room, we get to start a new one. I love you, Aubrey. More than words will ever be able to say. I hope you never forget that."

Aubrey looked up, meeting Chloe's eyes. "I still don't understand how I got lucky enough to have you," she whispered, shaking her head. "You do these amazing things for me and I just.. I treat you like shit."

"Bree, you are a very complicated person, okay? You had a stable yet rough upbringing and no one ever really made the time to show you that you were worth something. Yes, you can be a bit.. harsh.. sometimes, but more often than not you are the most compassionate person I know. Every day with you is like an adventure. I never know if I will have to be on the defensive or not, but I am okay with that because I love you."

Aubrey leaned in, placing a soft kiss on Chloe's lips. "I love you, too."

\------

"I don't see why we had to wait up for her,” Aubrey snapped, slamming the apartment door behind her. "She was the one that went and got herself arrested. And then you fucking undermining me when I have made it very clear that we are sticking with the setlist."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Bree, you are overreacting."

"Am I?" she snapped.

"We, as the Bellas, were obligated to do that, Aubrey. She is our friend."

"If they are such good friends, why don't they know about us? Do you enjoy flirting with Beca that much?"

“I enjoy flirting with everyone, Aubrey! We have been through this before. Yes, I flirt with Beca, but who do I come home to? You. Because I want to be with you. I am naturally like that, but the only person I ever see myself with is you. Why is that so hard for you to understand?!” she yelled, throwing herself onto the couch. “And don’t feel some bullshit about how you are so horrible and uptight and how could anyone love you and blah fucking blah, because I don’t want to hear that shit.”

“You don’t have to throw yourself onto the furniture like a child,” Aubrey scoffed, walking towards the bedroom.

"You're the one who is acting like a child, Aubrey. One who can't seem to share her favorite toy,” Chloe called after her.

The blonde leaned against the wall in the hallway, closing her eyes. “I shouldn’t have to share you if you are mine.” She heard the footsteps before feeling Chloe’s arms around her waist. “Chloe, of course I don’t want to share you and I am going to get jealous when I see you all over her right in front of me,” she whispered, opening her eyes to look at Chloe. “I know you are flirtatious by nature, but, really, you need to tone it down, okay? It isn’t like I can just grab you and reel you in when it gets too much for me.”

Chloe’s eyes fell, “Is that what this is about, Bree? Do you want us to be open to the Bellas about the fact that we’re a couple?”

“I want to be open with everyone about us, Chloe. I am sick of keeping it to just family and in our apartment. I want to go out on a date somewhere that we can bump into friends at, and we can hold hands and just be together without having to worry. We have been together for over two years, and sometimes.. sometimes I think you are ashamed to show us off,” she said, her voice quiet. She linked her hands with Chloe’s, holding tightly.

“I’m not ashamed, Aubrey, I just-” Chloe tightened her grip on Aubrey’s hands, “Sometimes it’s hard.”

“What’s hard, Chloe? You can be all over everyone else, but as soon as it actually means something you get freaked out? Is being with me really that difficult? You know I’m working through some things right now.”

“Aubrey, you’ve been working through some things since the day I met you,” she said.

“Yeah, well, some people just take a little bit longer,” Aubrey said tersely, moving away from Chloe. “I just want to know why you can’t be public with me.”

“I don’t know, Aubrey!” Chloe paced the room. “I guess maybe I’m worried that if we’re a couple where everyone can see then that will be the thing to break you if people don’t like it! I don’t want you to lose it, Bree. I care too much about us for that to happen.”

Aubrey scoffed, “So now I’m weak to you?”

“No, not weak, Aubrey,” Chloe shook her head, “Just so fucking stubborn sometimes that you can’t see what will happen next.”

“I don’t think that’s it at all, Chloe. I think I see more than you do, and that scares you.” Aubrey looked at Chloe one last time before leaving the room and shutting the bedroom door firmly behind her.

“What does that even mean, Aubrey?” Chloe shouted to the closed door. “I don’t think even you know.”

\-----

Aubrey shoved her way through the people backstage, knowing Chloe was on her heels. When she finally reached the large, strangely empty, hallway, she stopped, turning to face the redhead. “I fucking told you!” she yelled. “I told you that she was going to fuck us up! This was our chance, Chloe, and we would have made it had she not opened her fucking mouth! And you have the fucking nerve to stand there and try to defend her!”

Chloe remained silent, her eyes locked on Aubrey.

“You can be so fucking stupid sometimes, you know that?”

The redhead looked at the ground, wiping tears from her eyes.

“You don’t know when to just stop! You don’t know when enough is fucking enough! She ruined what could have been the greatest moment of my life! This is the only thing I have wanted in the past year and you were so blinded by whatever it is you see in her that you let her fuck me over!”

Chloe shuddered, biting her lip but refusing to look away from Aubrey.

“I don’t give a fuck how you get home,” she finished, turning and walking away, digging her phone out of her bag, calling information to find the closest Greyhound station. She ended up waiting an extra four hours for the next bus to Atlanta, feeling her anger ebb and the regret for her words flow over her the closer she got to the city. The sun was up by the time she was taking a cab from the station to the apartment, her eyes burning from lack of sleep.

She slowly entered the apartment, noticing Chloe asleep on the couch, still in her Bellas uniform. Aubrey closed and locked the door before moving to the couch, kneeling on the floor, placing her lips on Chloe’s forehead lightly. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, fresh tears in her eyes. “I was stupid. I said so many things I shouldn’t have said. I’m so fucking sorry, Chloe. I just wish you could forgive me.” She kissed her forehead again before moving to the bedroom, stripping out of her clothes and falling into bed, drifting into a fitful sleep almost immediately.

The sun was at Aubrey’s least favorite angle. At four in the afternoon, it always shone through the bedroom window bright enough to wake the dead. She rolled over, noting that Chloe’s side of the bed hadn’t been touched. She forced herself to get up, pulling a pair of pajama pants and a shirt on before heading into the living room. “Chloe?” she asked, noting the empty couch. She was about to check the kitchen when she saw the paper taped to the door.

_Bree,_

_I decided to head down to my parents a few days early. I’ll see you after spring break. I love you._

_Chloe._


	8. We Live And We Learn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to Kirsten for helping a lot with this chapter!

Not wanting to go to Indiana for break, Aubrey found herself sitting in the rehearsal space, listening to Beca’s slot on the radio station, waves of anger broken apart by the pain in her chest from how things were between her and Chloe. Her girlfriend hadn’t been answering her calls or messages. It was painful, not knowing where they stood. She needed to know if she had messed things up beyond repair.

She had picked up the habit of extra workout routines while focusing on her law books, keeping that stupid earpiece for her phone in. When the call had come through that the Bellas were back in the competition, Chloe had been the first person she texted. The rest of the Bellas could be called, but that first text to Chloe was what caused her the most pain. If she wasn’t going to come back, if none of the Bellas came back, her excitement was for nothing.

* * *

 

Aubrey was sitting on the couch debating calling Chloe again when the front door opened. She looked up, seeing the redhead dragging her bags in. “Hi,” she said, her voice quiet. Chloe threw up her hand in a small wave, not saying anything. “Are you going to be giving me the silent treatment?”

Chloe held up a finger, pulling her phone out of her pocket and tapping out a quick message. Went to a concert with the cousins. Lost voice.

“So you can just text me anything you need?” Aubrey asked, getting up off of the couch. Chloe nodded, a small smile on her face. She tapped her phone screen again.

We can talk when I have my voice back. When are we getting the Bellas together?

“Tomorrow afternoon.”

Chloe nodded, dragging her things to the bedroom, reappearing moments later dressed in nothing more than a baggy shirt.

“Are we going to be okay?”

Chloe looked at Aubrey and reached for her phone again. Give me some time, Bree.

Aubrey nodded, trying to ignore the urge to reach over and hold Chloe’s hand. “Can we at least go to bed? Together?”

Chloe paused and regarded her for a moment before smiling gently, she reached her hand towards Aubrey and pulled the blonde in the direction of their room.

Aubrey breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe things would work out after all.

* * *

 

Aubrey sat down on the couch, letting the events of the day wash over her. She had deserved everything Chloe had said to her, and no matter how many times she replayed it in her head, the redheads admission about having her nodes removed caused a pain in her chest. She should have been there for Chloe, instead of being so selfish.

Chloe walked into the apartment, shrugging off her jacket and turning up the heat. Aubrey motioned her to the couch, wrapping an arm around her before pulling the blanket that usually sat on the back of the couch over them, tucking its edges around Chloe. “I’m sorry, Bree,” she mumbled.

“You have nothing to..”

“Shut up. You need to hear me out. This year has been one of the hardest for you, and I swear I tried to be there for you, but there is only so much that a person can be pushed away before they have to remove themselves from the situation. Yes, I flirted with Beca, but you know what? She was giving me the attention I needed. I get that you were hurting, but eighty percent of the time you were not focusing on what I needed. I was there for you, Bree, but you weren’t there for me when I needed you. You never asked how I was.”

Aubrey opened her mouth to reply, snapping it shut when Chloe gave her a look.

"When I was a kid, my best friend was this girl named Morgan. We lived next door to each other, and we discovered the summer before eighth grade that we wanted to be more than friends. The first few months, our parents just thought we were being silly and entertaining some crush or phase, but when we finished that school year, we were still together."

She held tightly to Aubrey's hand.

"Ninth grade brought us a slew of problems. We were both heavily bullied for the choice to be together, but neither of us let it split us apart. I loved her and she loved me. We were the only thing worth fighting for. I got beat up by some girls after gym one day, and the school didn’t do anything about it because they called it just girls being girls. I was out of school for a week and every single day, Morgan would bring me my homework and she wouldn't leave until it was curfew. Some nights she would just stay over and we would lay there and talk about how we were so special to each other."

Aubrey watched Chloe, noting how it seemed to be nothing but pain-filled words, even on the happier times.

"We stayed together. Tenth grade actually went a lot easier because the ones who were shaming us realized that they couldn't break us. It just became a natural sight to see. We could walk through the halls holding hands and kiss before going to our separate classes. We never drifted apart, no matter what we would fight about. I was still with her when you and I met."

"What happened?"

"Over Christmas break, she told me that she met someone else. In the few months that we were apart, she had met this other girl and they had been messing around. It fucking hurt, hearing that. I seriously saw myself spending the rest of my life with her and she found it so easy to throw away. But then I started falling for you, and it was so different than what I felt for Morgan. I still loved her and I still cared for her."

Aubrey looked at their hands.

"Just after Halloween, I got a call from her mother. That girl she had left me for? She was abusive. Morgan had been trying to leave. To get out of it. But she found herself constantly going back. She.. she hung herself. She was so tired of letting herself go back, she left the only way that she knew how to. That's what the note said."

Aubrey stayed silent, her eyes locked on their hands.

“I guess you were too upset to see that I was falling apart, but Beca saw that, Bree. She saw that I just wasn’t me and when she asked me what was wrong, I told her. I told her about how your dad died and I was trying so hard to be there for you, because you are my best friend, and you would just.. you were fighting me every single step of the way, Aubrey. You have fought me every step of the way in this relationship. Sometimes.. when you say that you don’t get why I am with you, I find myself asking that same question.”

“Chloe..”

“I am not fucking finished,” she snapped, standing up. “Why do I stay by your side when all you do is shoot me down? I love you, Aubrey, more than I have ever loved anyone else in this world. When you yelled at me after semi-finals? That hurt. Words cannot even describe how much that hurt me. It was all about you, wasn’t it? This year, wanting to win.. you didn’t care if that is something I wanted. You were a bitch, to everyone, and I think the two weeks of silence and solitude was exactly what you needed. To realize that you were hurting the one person you were actually able to love.”

Aubrey watched the redhead, seeing the tense shoulders and the way her hands flew around as she spoke.

“You are the most frustrating person I have met in my life. I constantly have to repeat myself and no matter how many times I say something, you refuse to believe it. I tell you that you are fine the way you are, you say you need to be better. I tell you that things are going to be okay, you just shoot me the fuck down. I understand that losing your dad so suddenly was hard and you have needed time to come to terms with it, but, Bree, I was putting all of my pain aside just to make sure you were okay and you couldn’t take two seconds to look at me and see that I was breaking!”

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

“Sorry isn’t fucking good enough. Yes, maybe I could have brought things up, but I was so scared to set you off!”

Aubrey’s tongue felt dry in her mouth. She gathered her courage to ask the question that had been on her mind since she first stuck her foot in her mouth at semi-finals, “Are you breaking up with me?”

Chloe sat down in the middle of the room, putting her head in her hands. “I don’t know,” she mumbled. “Do you think I should?”

“I don’t want you to.” Aubrey watched Chloe closely, looking for any indication of what was going to happen, “But I wouldn’t fault you for it. I’ve been a terrible girlfriend. And an even worse best-friend.”

Chloe rested her arms on her knees, looking at Aubrey. “I needed you, Bree. I think that even if I had said something to you about my pain, you would have still found a way to make it about you, and that hurts pretty fucking bad.”

Aubrey released a shaky breath, “I can do better. I really think I can.”

Chloe shook her head, making no movement to get up. “I don’t know if I can work with think. We think a lot of things, Aubrey. When I was five, I thought I could be a princess. I thought that we were going to be forever. But, really, when I think about it? A lot of my thoughts have been just that.. enough to think, but never to do.”

Aubrey nodded her understand and moved closer to Chloe, “Tell me what I need to do to make this work, Chloe. Tell me and I will do everything I can to make this better. If it’s at all possible then I need to know. I love you.”

“I don’t know, Aubrey!” she said, tears in her eyes. “I don’t know what to tell you to make this work, because I don’t know how to make it work. I can’t fix you! Are we going to spend the rest of our lives debating the fact that I think you are perfect the way you are and you feeling that you aren’t good enough?”

Aubrey wiped the tears falling on her own cheeks, “I don’t need to be perfect, Chloe, as long as I’m yours. I know that now. It’ll still be hard sometimes but I know that now.”

Chloe stood up, walking towards the bedroom. “Words are easy, Aubrey. I need to see it to believe it. I’ve had too many words from you. I need action.”

Aubrey watched her go, waiting for a couple minutes before she got up and walked to the kitchen. Making a cup of tea she thought carefully of what she could do. Action. Chloe needed proof. Well, Aubrey could give her proof.

* * *

 

The next day found Aubrey entering the radio station with slightly managed levels of hesitance, “Beca? Are you here?”

Beca stuck her head around a corner, smiling. “Hey! Give me one second to finish up the crate of CD’s,” she said, disappearing from view.

“Sure,” Aubrey said and then thought for a moment, “Do you need some help?”

“Nah. Luke piles these things on me and Jesse every single day. And, done!” she said, walking around the corner and leaning against the desk. “What’s up?”

“That’s kind of harsh of him,” Aubrey said, continuing when Beca shrugged her shoulders, “I need your help. With Finals.”

“I signed up for it, so yeah. At least I get to be the only freshman allowed in the booth.” Beca watched the blonde. “Why do I feel like finals is code for something that doesn’t involve synchronized lady dancing?”

“I guess--well I mean it does involved synchronized lady dancing,” Aubrey rolled her eyes, did she really sound like that, “But also kind of my final chance at not being a complete bitch. Or something like that.” Aubrey slumped down on a nearby chair. “I have to do something right, Beca. It’s the only way.”

The brunette was quiet for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip, thinking over her words. “This is about Chloe, isn’t it?”

“I fucked up.”

“Chloe loves you. It can’t be that bad,” she said, pulling a chair over to sit in front of Aubrey.

Aubrey shook her head, “It really can be. It’s been over two years and everything we’ve built is crumbling around us.”

Beca smirked. “I knew it. I knew that Chloe wouldn’t cry that much over just a friend. Look, Aubrey, I know that I am a horrible person to be giving advice, but have you tried talking to her? Go home and see her sitting there and instead of watching a movie or working on schoolwork, just sit next to her and say the easiest words ever. Ask her how she is.”

“She told me that she was done with words. I’m at my wit’s end here.”

“By words, did she mean you saying you were sorry or you showing a genuine interest in what she was saying?” Beca asked. “I know that I was always sick of words, because it was just my dad always telling me how sorry he was for leaving me, but when I left the Bellas, I went to talk to him. And he listened to me, and I found myself able to listen to him, because he was asking me how I felt and how everything was affecting me. Just because she says she is done with words, that doesn’t mean you have to stop talking.”

“I feel like I’m just constantly walking on eggshells around her. She’s my best-friend, my--girlfriend, and I don’t even know what she’s thinking.” Aubrey stood up and hesitated, Beca wasn’t her friend exactly and she didn’t know the proper etiquette for saying goodbye, “I’ll think about what you said.”

“Good luck,” Beca said, giving a small wave. “And, Aubrey? Don’t worry about finals. I got this. Trust me. You and Chloe will get to hold that trophy.”

“Thanks,” Aubrey smiled, a real smile, “Do you think that you could manage to put that Miley Cyrus song in our set? I mean, if at all possible. I know Chloe loves it.”

“I will try my hardest.” She turned back towards the booth, stopping after a few steps and turning back around. “Aubrey?”

“Yeah, Beca?”

“I was never trying to steal Chloe. Yeah, we flirt, but it is nothing more than that. I promise you that almost all of our talks in private had to do with how worried she was about you.”

Aubrey ran her fingers through her hair, “Thank you, Beca. I mean it, thank you.” She walked to the door, “I’ll see you later.”

Beca waved, watching the blonde leave before turning around and walking to the booth, stopping when she saw Luke. “Shouldn’t you be stacking CD’s?” he asked, leaning against the wall.

“It was a Bellas thing. She is letting me create the set for finals,” she explained, grabbing the next crate of CD’s.

“I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Garage again this weekend.”

“Because that worked out so brilliantly for me the first time. You had to be flat-out told that my name was Beca, not Becky, and then, upon telling me the only reason you gave my music a shot was because Jesse wouldn’t shut up about it, you left me in the middle of a fucking crowd for three hours until I finally gave up all hopes of enjoying myself. So, no, Luke, I do not want to go with you again.”

“What if I take you out for dinner, instead, then?” he asked, stepping into her pathway.

Beca looked at him, rolling her eyes before sighing. “Whatever.”


	9. Make Me Happy Again

Aubrey entered the apartment, not sure what scene she was expecting. Chloe was sitting on the floor, legs criss crossed, knitting what looked to be a scarf. “Hi,” Aubrey said, sitting next to Chloe and grabbing the yarn, she started working it into a more manageable ball. “How are you--how are you doing?”

Chloe stopped what she was doing, her eyes meeting Aubrey’s. “I’m fine,” she offered, a hint of hesitance in her voice.

Aubrey nodded, accepting the small amount of information, “What have you been up to today?” Aubrey felt like she was courting Chloe all over again. If you could call what they did before courting.

“I went through a box of stuff I had brought back from Florida. I.. I ran across a few pictures of me and Morgan I had long since forgotten about. I remembered that she was the one who taught me how to knit.. so I went to the store and bought this shit and then sat down and just.. lost myself in it,” she said, setting the yarn and needles on the floor in front of her.

“I’d like to hear more about her, if you’re up for telling me. She sounded really special.”

“I thought she was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Chloe whispered, her hand reaching for Aubrey’s.

“What changed?” Aubrey was genuinely interested.

“She had been the only thing I had known. She was my best friend and she was my girlfriend. We stumbled our way through the first years of the relationship before we really knew what we were doing. We learnt everything with each other, about each other and for each other. But then I came to Barden, and that was the first time we had been apart. I was making new friends, and in a way, it felt like I was leaving her behind,” she said.

“How did that make you feel?” Aubrey cringed at the way the sentence sounded, she didn’t want to seem like she was trying to psychoanalyze Chloe.

The redhead looked at her girlfriend, slightly confused at the sudden interest, but unable to not smile at the look on her face. “Really? You go all therapist on me?” she laughed, placing a kiss on Aubrey’s cheek. “It was painful, but I felt like it was something that needed to happen. I mean, when I found out that she had been cheating on me, I was hurt, but it wasn’t like it was the end of my world completely. I saw a future with her, yes, but I was eighteen and had been in a solid relationship for five years! I spent more of my teenage years acting like a grown-up than letting myself be a kid.”

Aubrey blushed at Chloe’s response to her question. “I guess, I’m just realizing that we don’t know a lot about each other still. And I want to change that. I’m sorry that all that happened to you.”

Chloe smiled, keeping her eyes locked on Aubrey. “Thank you,” she mumbled.

Aubrey linked their fingers together and squeezed lightly, “Any time.”

“I love you. I know we say that a lot, Bree, but right now, in this moment and looking at you, I really do love you.”

Aubrey rested her head in the crook of Chloe’s neck, “I love you too, so much.”

“I wish Morgan would have felt like she could have called me,” she whispered, closing her eyes.

“Me too, Chlo, me too.” Aubrey wrapped her arm around Chloe pulling her close.

“How does someone get that sad, Bree? Hurting so much that instead of seeking other ways for help, they just.. end it?” she asked, her voice quiet.

“I don’t know.” Aubrey shifted so she could see Chloe’s face, “And I hope I never do.”

Chloe was silent for a moment. “Bree, I would be so lost without you.”

“I almost was,” Aubrey admitted. “I almost didn’t find my way back to you in time.”

Chloe closed her eyes, pulling away from Aubrey. Her breathing was uneven, hands shaking. “I can’t let myself think about that. After Morgan.. how am I supposed to get over that? What if I could have done something to help her?”

“Chloe, beating yourself up over what happened isn’t going to help. It sucks, but you know it’s true.” Aubrey had no idea what to say to Chloe to make her feel better, “I’m not going to tell you how to feel, okay, just that it’s not your fault.” Aubrey reached over to Chloe and squeezed her shoulder gently before moving her hand, “And I’m here if you need to talk. Or not talk. Or whatever you need. I’ll be here.”

“Thank you,” she mumbled, pulling herself into a standing position. “I think we should go lay down.”

Aubrey reached for Chloe, the redhead helping her up. Aubrey wrapped her arm around Chloe’s waist and led them towards their bedroom, “That sounds nice.”

\--------

Chloe smiled, leaning against the window ledge, watching the nine other people in the room. The Bellas had done it. First ever all-female group to win the title. The music was loud and she and Aubrey had procured plenty of alcohol for their girls. Denise and Cynthia Rose were in the corner, foreheads pressed together with smiles on their faces, hands tangled together. Lilly, Jessica, Ashley and Stacie were playing some hybrid of poker and drinking, laughing. Amy and Beca were staring at the trophy on the table in the room, debating on where it was going to go once they were back at Barden.

Then there was Aubrey. The blonde had taken a place next to her, linking their fingers together. “What’s on your mind, red?” she asked, smiling.

“We did it,” she said, looking around the room again. “We destroyed the mold of the Bellas, and instead molded the music around us, and we won.” She smirked, squeezing Aubrey’s hand, clearing her throat. “Bellas!” she yelled, motioning for Beca to turn the music down. Once she was sure that everyone was facing her, she took a deep breath. “This year was full of struggles. I know a lot of us went through personal struggles that may have impacted our performance in this group, but together, we have come through it all with a sisterhood that is now for life. Words cannot describe just how proud I am of each and every one of you.”

She took a moment to watch each girl, noting the smiles.

“To see all of you grow and learn..” her voice trailed off, wiping tears from her eyes.

Aubrey stepped forward. “When this year started, Chloe and I were charged with the task of upholding Bellas standards and finding eight girls with bikini ready bodies. What we ended up with was this ragtag group. I know I was personally responsible for any and all of our failures, and that was because I didn’t believe in you. I was so focused on a need to win that I forgot you had feelings, and thoughts. I almost lost everything good in my life and to stand here now, I realize something. Even if we did not have that trophy, I would be happy. I would be happy because we tried. I broke down my fears and my expectations and I let you be yourselves, and that was really what I should have done from the start. I love all of you, so much, and have no idea what Chloe and I are going to do without you once we graduate.”

Chloe caught Aubrey’s gaze, “I love you,” she mouthed, winking.

“I second what Chloe said.. words will never be enough to explain how proud I am of all of you,” Aubrey added. She opened her mouth to add something, a noise of surprise leaving her mouth as Chloe turned to Aubrey and threaded her arms around Aubrey’s neck, pulling them together. She tilted her head and brushed her lips against Aubrey’s, grinning at Aubrey’s gasp of shock. She used the moment to her advantage and pressed closer, her tongue searching for Aubrey’s.

Chloe pulled back after registering the sound of a shrill wolf whistle. She blushed as she noticed Beca in the background, grinning like an idiot. She could have sworn, in that dark corner, Stacie and Jessica were handing money to Cynthia Rose. Chloe rolled her eyes and looked back at Beca, she mouthed a quick thank you before turning her attention to Aubrey. “Hi.”

Aubrey laughed and kissed Chloe again, “Hi yourself.”

\-----

Aubrey looked around the rehearsal space, unable to keep the tears out of her eyes. In the morning, her and Chloe would be heading to Chicago together, leaving their memories of Barden -- of finally becoming national champions -- behind them in Atlanta. Beca had just left, promising Aubrey that she would take the responsibilities as captain the following year seriously. The trophy sat on top of the beaten up piano, the sunlight coming in through the windows making it glow. “I told you we would do it,” Chloe whispered, wrapping her arms around the blonde.

“You’ve been saying that for the past two months, Chloe,” she replied, not turning around. “You are taking the whole I told you so thing to a whole new level.”

“But it is true. Bree, we did it. We did something that no other Bella has ever done.”

Aubrey finally turned, taking a step back, her fingers linking with Chloe’s. “The only reason I made it through this year was because of you, Chloe. No matter what I threw at you, it didn’t slow you down. I.. I know we had some of our biggest fights this year. I said a lot of things to you that I am never going to be able to forgive myself for. But you stuck by me, just like you always said you would.” She reached into her pocket, pulling the box out and opening it, showing Chloe the ring. “I wanted to do this on Christmas, but I chickened out. So I am doing it now. Chloe Beale, will you marry me?”

Chloe put her hands over her mouth, tears in her eyes. When she moved her hands, the smile on her face could have lit up Atlanta. “Yes!”

 

 


End file.
